Don't Cry Over Drank Tea
by DreamerNightingale
Summary: Sun and Moon tea. It is said to have a different flavor every new batch. But when drank by the people of a certain village, this special tea can cause life altering effects. Akiko honestly never imagined this happening, but it appeared that a certain assassin has his sights set on her. "Oh well. No use crying over drank tea, I guess. Illumi/oc
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: I know I have so many other stories to update. But I promise I am getting more updates for them finished. I'm just having trouble with them at the moment. But for now, I've started this little number. Please enjoy, and let me know what you think. And you can blame the plot on a weird dream I had._**

I frowned at my surroundings as the other applicants for the hunter exams milled about. I could only sense a few nen signatures in this underground room. I continued to walk as my mismatched eyes observed everything around me. And then I made a fool of myself. I tripped over my own feet and wound up bouncing right off of someone's back. I landed on my ass unceremoniously, with a surprised squeak. "Oh... I am such a klutz." I whimpered as I rubbed my nose. "I'm sorry about that. I really didn't mean..." I trailed off as I looked up at the firm wall of flesh that had bounced me off. There stood a very intimidating man.

His bright red hair was gelled up in a shocking style, he had a tear and a star painted separately onto his cheeks, and strange clothing revealing the card suits and a strange band that looked ribbed strangely. His golden eyes held an ounce of amusement, and his lips quirked in a very intimidating smirk.

"I didn't mean to run into you. Beg your pardon." I squeaked timidly. I started to try to lift myself to my feet, only to have a hand offered to me.

"You seem more worse for wear than I do. Though, it's nice to meet such a polite little mouse~!" His teasing tone caused my childish looking face to redden. _If I'm a mouse, you're a snake._ I accepted his hand in an awkward manner and he tugged me to my feet.

"Thank you." I mumbled timidly as I dusted off my hide cloak. "I'm not normally this clumsy. I am Akiko."

"Hisoka." The flame haired magician answered. His eyes never let up their intensity as he continued to eye me up and down.

I could feel my nerves getting the best of me as I realized that had it been any other male, I would have assumed that he was checking me out. But I felt with him, it was more like he was sizing me up as prey of one type or another. Whatever he saw he liked, and I wasn't sure if that was good or bad. But I felt wary of the look in his eye. Like a predator that had found a new prey.

"Those eyes of yours are very interesting~. Unique!" He mused. My eyes were mismatched with my left being an emerald and the other being virtually the same except for a vivid brown splotch that took up a fourth of my iris on the lower right portion. I didn't find them all that interesting. Matched with my deep crimson hued hair and pale skin, my eyes looked quite boring in my opinion. All of me did, really. I was at a loss for words, so I did what I always did when I was nervous with someone. Offer candy.

"Gum?" I held out a package of Bungee Gum to the scary magician man. His creepy smirk turned into a more pleased grin.

"My, what a sweet little mouse~!" He chuckled as he accepted my offering. Instead of actually chewing it, however, he set it in his pocket. "See you later~!" He walked away with a careless wave in my direction. The tension I had been unaware of, that had built up in my body, dissipated at his leisurely retreating form.

I readjusted my cloak that covered me from neck to ankles, making me look much thicker than I was due to all the inner pockets that had odds and ends stuffed in them. "Hello! Another new face!" I looked up at the face of a round, middle-aged man in a blue jumpsuit.

"Yes. And you are?" I knew not all the other examinees would be friendly. And not everyone was as they appeared.

"Ah! The name's Tonpa!" He grinned invitingly.

"Akiko." My mouth was pressed into a thin line. I didn't like this guy. It wasn't long before three new arrivals entered the underground exam room. As they tried to greet everyone, the others immediately dismissed their presence.

My eyes slid back to the round man attempting something. "I'll be going now." I strode toward the new applicants. But, of course, Tonpa made a point of reaching there first, so I decided to observe everyone from a higher elevation. I took a quick leap into the air, suspending myself upside down from the ceiling. The nen surged in my feet acted as adhesive to keep me attached to the ceiling. Tonpa seemed to be telling the newcomers about other wanna-be hunters.

My attention began to wane from the newcomers as I noticed the magician, Hisoka just standing around. He seemed to be looking at something in his hand. Until he was jostled slightly by someone who didn't bother apologizing. I watched as his nen flared slightly. It was so quick, I almost didn't see it happen. The man's arms were off, and he had decided to conjure petals to make it look like he had turned the fool's arms into petals. It was a crafty trick, if not a bit twisted. I couldn't keep the amusement hidden as I clapped as quietly as possible. But he heard me. _Of course_ he heard me.

Hisoka looked up to meet my eyes and smirked. I felt a deep blush bloom across my face, and immediately discharged my nen, so that I would be dropped into the crowd and less likely to be found.

I continued to amble through the crowded room, until I felt his presence behind me. "Did the little mouse like my trick~?" His odd voice immediately caused me to stiffen. I could almost swear his voice had a lewd quality to it. I felt a hand on my head slowly sifting through my waist length tresses.

"It was... ingenuitive." I tried to keep my voice from shaking. I had never felt so meek before. What was it about him that made me feel like prey?

"Thank you~! You really are a sweet mouse." There was that feeling of lewdness again. So much heat crept up into my face, that I was half afraid I was glowing red. My hand reached up to comb my bangs into my eyes in embarrassment.

I was saved from answering by a strange sound followed by the lifting of one of the walls. A strange man with lilac hair and a thin curly mustache, but no mouth stood at the other side. "The window for any other exam entrees has closed."


	2. Chapter 2

It didn't take long to realize the first phase was an endurance exam. I was lucky that Hisoka had let me go, but I was extremely wary of his aura just behind me. It had been a few minutes since the start of the exam, and quite a few people had dropped out. I tried to get lost in the mass of running bodies, but no matter where I tried to run, I could feel him tailing me. Then there was the effort of steering clear of the one man with several pins stuck all over his body. With both of their presences so near, I felt like a trapped hare.

My legs wouldn't keep up the pace of my strides for long, so I decided to use a different method. I focused my nen to my feet again. Only this time, I made it take on on a slippery quality. It was like ice skating. Only it left chaos in wake. As I heard people slipping and falling behind, I couldn't help but smile. It wasn't like they were seriously injured, so I didn't see the harm in continuing my little self-serving prank. I was enjoying the little bits of mayhem that were ensuing behind me when Hisoka spoke up beside me.

"Well, that wasn't very nice~..." He spoke in a false pouty tone.

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck and arms raise at his presence so near. "..!" I squeaked as I mis-stepped and started to fall backwards. My arms shot out in a vain attempt for balance, but that seemed to be just what he wanted, because he grabbed my hand and began dragging my still sliding self behind him. _What manner of karma is this? This guy seems like the type to kill you after you stop amusing him._ I could feel sweat accumulate on the back of my neck as I came to that realization.

Once he was sure I wouldn't fall, he let me go. I quickly resumed my sliding pace. "Don't go falling, now~ You might get trampled!" Hisoka chuckled in his lilting speech.

"I-I'll try to remember that." I squeaked. I immediately began sliding further up the group, only to get within range of the pin faced man.

I almost froze in exasperation as I noticed the clacking noise he made. "Hello." His voice sounded distorted a bit.

"H-hello." I tried to stay focused on the path ahead. I glanced to the side to see his still clattering form. "That doesn't look comfortable..."

"It isn't." He admitted in his warped voice. I felt myself relaxing around this man, even despite his foreboding aura. I felt less like prey, and more unnoticeable.

"I guess you have your reasons for hiding your identity, but I, myself, wouldn't find it worth the discomfort." I admitted. I continued to stare ahead, jumping over a fallen examinee here and there.

"Why is that?" He questioned. His neck cricked with an uncomfortable sound. I felt a shiver run down my spine at the sound, and couldn't help the compulsion to answer truthfully.

"Needles freak me out, and pins are very similar."

I glanced again to see the smirk on his face. "I see."

"That doesn't necessarily mean I'll roll over and die when being presented with a needle. I just prefer to stay away from them..." _Stop talking, you idiot!_

"I understand." He merely replied. Things quieted down between us. I could feel awkwardness starting to creep in.

Stairs appeared, and I correctly assumed that we would be climbing them. The nen at the bottoms of my shoes dissipated, leaving me to climb unhindered by anything slippery. I opened my mouth to speak only to be interrupted by a few kids.

"Loser buys dinner." The two agreed. I smiled and hung back to get close to them.

"Did I hear a race in progress?" I asked with as much friendliness I could muster. "The name is Akiko."

"Killua." The white haired boy replied.

"I'm Gon!" The green clad boy introduced himself with much enthusiasm.

"And yeah, we're gonna race. You want in?" Killua asked.

"No, thank you." _That would hardly be fair._ "But how about I call who wins? I can easily get ahead to be sure."

"Yeah!" The boys answered in tandem. I smiled.

"Alright. Ready?" Both boys nodded. "Go!" I shot ahead, calling nen into my legs so that I could jump ahead. So absorbed in the game, I didn't notice that I had caught the attention of both Hisoka and the pin faced man. We were almost out of the stair well when I heard the little boys catching up to me. I quickly began to jump over heads until I jumped over the procter's head head first, to watch the boys tie. I felt my face rearrange into a smile. I quickly reoriented myself by back flipping mid jump to land between them.

The two began to argue who won and who owed who dinner. "Boys. You tied." I tried to quell the little quarrel. My hands found their way to the boy's heads. The boys began to blush. "You two are so cute~!" I giggled. I was oblivious to the stares we were receiving.

"Hey! You're messing up my hair! And don't treat us like we're babies. You can't be much older than us!" Killua complained.

"Hm? But I'm twenty two." Everyone around us stared at me in wonder.

"You're kidding!" Killua shouted.

"Really?" Gon exclaimed.

"I really am. Though I don't look it. At least, not in the face." I shrugged.

"Cool!" Gon cried out while his friend continued to stare at me shock.

I smiled. "Thank you, I guess. I think I'll wait for the next part of this phase. That was fun." I turned and walked away to the edge of the group.

"You're really twenty two?" The pin faced man asked. He clattered a bit on the way to me, so I wasn't all that surprised when I heard him address me.

"Is it so surprising?" I asked.

"I suppose not." He continued to stare at me. I stared back, with a growing sense of awkardness.

"My name is Akiko." I finally introduced myself.

"I am called Gittarackur" He replied in such a blank manner. I held out my hand, which he took with his own.

"Nice to meet you." I smiled at him.

"Likewise."

* * *

I had decided to stay by Gittarackur while we waited for the next part of the exam to start. I had decided to pull out my clunky looking headphones to listen to some music while I waited. I closed my eyes only for a few minutes as I stood, and when I opened my eyes, there was a tense atmosphere.

In my mental absence, a man-faced ape had tried posing as the real examiner, but was dealt with by Hisoka. I sort of paid attention after that as the proctor explained the Numere Wetlands. Basically: keep up, and keep him in sights. Easy. Where was the challenge?

As he set his pace, I made sure to stay right behind the proctor. I was practically riding his coat-tails. Luckily, this time, the running didn't last long. When we reached our destination, the examiner turned and eyed me in amusement. I stayed silent and strolled casually over to a nearby tree and sat against the roots. The others didn't take long to catch up.

As soon as the last few stragglers showed, the door to the stone wall opened behind him and he bid us all farewell. I looked through the opening and spied a HUGE man with rather unremarkable features beside his size, and a fit woman with green hair that was tied into five different sections.

 _Looks like phase two has begun._


	3. Chapter 3

"This should be easy." I muttered. The others had hightailed it into the Visca Forest to find the only pig the Visca Forest had. I moved quickly up through the trees to avoid getting trampled by the Stamp Nose. As soon as I found them, however, I noticed they were chasing the other examinees. Some were already being trampled and eaten. I waited until the last one began to pass me, and jumped down onto it's soft forehead, killing it, and spirited it back to the exam site. Once I managed to get my pig to my table, I started the process of skinning and gutting the beast. I listened as the female examiner, Menchi continued to lecture the others. I continued my preparations, making sure the food would turn out great, hissing every time the oil popped.

I looked down at the huge plates, hoping that it turned out well. I hefted the huge plates, ignoring the jeers of the other participants. I set the plates down in front of my judges. "Stamp Nose pork chops cooked with a savory and spicy rub, with a side of bacon wrapped asparagus, and garlic mashed potatoes with pork blood brown gravy. Enjoy." I kept my back straight, watching them stare at their meals in shock. The large man, Buhara, dove in first. He passed me, but my concern was Menchi.

She stared at the food for a moment and then took a small bite. She sampled everything, then looked up at me. "You know your way around a kitchen, don't you?" She was smirking. I shrugged. I noticed that her eyes kept focusing on one eye over the other. I quickly sifted my bangs over my eye to help her concentrate.

"I was taught to cook whatever my parents brought home. Nothing special."

"Hmm..." Menchi continued to eat, looking contemplative. "The chops are juicy, not too spicy. The asparagus is tender and the bacon is the perfect combination of chewy and crisp. The mashed potatoes are creamy, and I like that you left on the skin for texture. The gravy is delectable. Honestly, the only good food I've had today. You pass."

I blushed in embarrassment. "Thanks." I mumbled. I quickly shuffled back to my table.

Across from me, Gittarackur clacked in an annoyed fashion. "Well. I'm stuffed." Buhara sighed happily.

"Yeah, me too." Menchi grumbled. That was when she addressed the rest of us. "That means you all fail. Except her." She jabbed her finger in my direction. I folded my arms and kept an unaffected expression on my face. Most of the others turned to glare at me.

"Looks we have a problem here." A voice from above spoke up. All of us tried to identify the source of the voice to see a huge aircraft. An old man used a rope to slide down, leaving the two proctors a bit sheepish. "You know you can't just pass one participant."

"But chairman! They refuse to even try! I can't just pass someone who doesn't try! They wouldn't try anything new." Menchi complained.

"Is that what this is about?" Chairman Netero, as he had been identified, began eyeing her ample bosom. "They didn't try something new?"

"...No. They made fun of cooking like it's not a big deal, so I made the exam harder than necessary. I just can't help it when it comes to cooking." Menchi admitted.

"So you realize that this exam is unacceptable?" Netero looked up at Menchi's face.

"Yes. I apologize. I'll step down as examiner, and you can redo this part of the exam." I felt bad as I watched her kind of deflate.

"You don't need to step down. It would take too much time to find your replacement. So how about you find something else to use as your exam and participate with them. Does that sound acceptable?" Netero bargained.

"Yeah... And I have the perfect test. Boiled eggs!" Menchi brightened again. "Chairman, since you're already here, could we use Your airship?"

"Sure. Just where did you have in mind?" Netero answered.

"Mt. Split-In-Half!" Menchi declared.

"Hmm? I think I know what you have in mind." Netero smirked.

* * *

I stared down at the chasm below. _The mountain sure was accurately named..._ I listened as Menchi explained that we were to jump down and get a Spider Eagle egg, also known as dream eggs. She jumped down onto one of the webs. She must have noticed the wind coming, because she let go. The others were in uproar as they watch what they thought would be her death. When she landed, unharmed, they all looked at her with amazement. I stared down and waited for a breeze to come by. But I noticed the others already jumping.

"Hm? Hey. 313, You don't have to do this one. You already passed." Menchi called to me.

"Ah. But I _am_ hungry. So I think I'll go down too. Just not right now. One more person, and that web will snap." I observed. A few of the examinees let go, only to fall to their deaths. "Stupid mistake." I clucked absently.

I felt the beginnings of a nice gust approaching, so I jumped, Aiming for an egg. Instead of snagging an egg though, I accidentally took the entire nest with me. The gust blew me and the others back up to the top, and I landed on my back with the nest on top of me. I blinked for a few moments as I realized what happened. I sat up, and carried the whole thing to Menchi. "I may have overdid it." I rubbed my neck in embarrassment.

"Ha! That's great! Hey, Buhara, Chairman, you hungry?" Menchi called out. The other two nodded in acquiescence. Menchi took my nest to boil, laughing all the way.

"That was awesome, big sis!" I turned to see Gon crying out to me.

"Really? It was just an accident." I admitted.

"Do things like this happen often, big sis?" Killua asked.

"This week has been full of accidents, actually." I laughed. " I've fallen down flights of stairs, tripped into people, fallen off of ledges... This one time a waitress tripped on my arm as I was reaching for my spoon that dropped onto the floor, and the whole pot of top coffee landed on my head. This is the first time something good has come of it."

I could see their shocked, and disconcerted faces and sweatdropped as I realized they felt bad for me. "It's not as bad as it sounds, I promise. Barely any cuts or bruises." I waved my hands frantically, only to upset the cloak I wore and cause it to fall the ground. It exposed my black and dark blue knee high stockings and sky blue dress that went down to just above my knees, and puffed out at the skirts, due to the petticoats underneath. The neckline was round, but had a second layer that was black with a high neck collar, and the sleeves were french. If it wasn't for my generous curves, I would have been mistaken for a child. Both boys blushed a bit. "What?" I tilted my head in confusion.

"Ahem... Your cloak fell." Killua looked away, a bit flustered. I looked down to see that my cloak had indeed fallen off.

"Oh. Okay. Just a moment." I tugged it back on, adjusting the clip so that it wouldn't unclip again. I checked one of the pockets that held my special tea jar and found it unharmed. _Good. Don't want this to break. Or lost._

* * *

It had been a few hours since we had begun our flight to the next part of our exam, and I had been enjoying a leisurely stroll throughout the airship. I was staring out into the darkening horizon, when a strange feeling in my psyche alerted me. It was like a tension filled rubber band had snapped, causing a new awareness I never knew existed. I felt panic bubble up in me as I went through my pockets, to find them void of my special tea jar. I immediately went running around the airship to find whoever could be drinking the tea.

 _Oh, no. Nonononononononono. I'm bonded to somebody here! Fuck me! I'm practically married in the eyes of my village, and I don't even know who it is! What manner of karma is this!?_ I ran into one of the last rooms I had visited, to find Hisoka drinking what looked like tea. _FUUUUCCCCKKKKKKKK!_ I felt my soul leave my body.

"Hello there, little mouse~!" He sounded very amused. I felt like I was choking on air. "Something the matter?"

"Th-that tea..." I stuttered.

"Hmm? Yes, I got it from the dining hall." He smiled. "Very good." I almost collapsed with relief.

"Oh. Have you seen a jar of tea lying around?" I asked, switching from foot to foot.

"Ah, yes. I think Gittarackur took it to make some." I felt a cold sweat run down my body.

"It is quite good. Is it yours?" Gittarackur's distorted voice sounded from behind me. I turned to see him holding the jar out to me. I stared at it, face pale.

"Y-yes. It's a special tea in my village. Called Sun and Moon tea. It's a ceremonial tea that is supposed to be drank on special occasions only." I sighed.

"I apologize. I didn't know." He tilted his head.

"Oh well. No use crying over drank tea, I guess." I frowned as I stashed it away in my cloak.

"If you don't mind my asking..." Hisoka piped up. "What kind of special occasion?" I sighed again.

"My marriage." I looked over to the magician. "Every member of my village has their own tea batch that was gathered the very day they were born. Women in the village get a special jar of tea though, to brew for the man or woman they are to marry. It's considered a sacred brew when designated to women, but the regular batches are considered an honor bestowed upon people not of the village very infrequently." My eyes glowed eerily for a moment as I looked at Hisoka.

"My, my." He continued to build his card house. "No wonder you were looking for it."

"Yes... Without this tea, I can never marry. Or return to my village." I turned back to Gittarackur and smiled. "Thank you for finding it." I carefully edged around him and continued to walk away. I suddenly felt the need to kill something. My left hand began to shake uncontrollably.

I continued to walk down the hall when some random examinee stopped me in my path with a smirk. "Hey sweetheart."

I felt the urge take over and darted forward, left hand extended to grab his throat. It was over in the blink of an eye, the hall coated with blood, gristle and entrails. The only thing to identify him was the tag on the floor. My person was still spotless though, as I walked away. _I guess the only good thing that can come of this is that he won't be able to kill me. And it's not like I have to tell him. The tea only ensured a link for me to know he is alive and well. It isn't going to hurt me or anything. It does nothing against the people who are unfaithful, so it won't hurt him or me should he get married to someone else. I'll just never be able to get married. And that's okay, I guess. I can live without marrying. I can live without kids. It'll be fine. I'll be... okay..._

"Big is, are you okay?" Killua's face entered my field of vision. "You're crying."

Shocked, I touched my cheek to find it wet. "I'm fine, Killua." I whispered. "Just another accident is all." I smiled at him.

"Don't lie. What's wrong." The white haired boy frowned.

"I..." I sighed tiredly. "Oh, Killua. Life never goes the way we expect. I just got accidentally married."

"EHHHHH?!" Killua shouted.

"In my village there is a special tea that is given to every female to safeguard that is specially brewed toward her, so that when she is ready to marry, she brews the tea for her significant other. When they drink the tea, a link is formed. I will always be distantly aware of his well being and emotional state. And I will always know if he is nearby. And we cannot kill or harm one another. But I dropped my tea, and one of the other participants made tea from it and drank it. In my village, that is marriage. And these effects are for life. It doesn't help that we will both be infertile to anyone but one another. So I can never have children. I was really looking forward to being a mother someday..." I sniffled. Killua patted my back.

"It's gonna be okay, big sis. Promise." He murmured.

 _I hope you're right._


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Thank you, Kiroro Gakiru for the review! Reviews keep me motivated, so I'm happy to get one. And thanks to the followers: kuraton97,**_ ** _moonlight phonex101,_** _ **BloodyLoved, Krystalana, and thanks for the favorites: kuraton97 and**_ ** _moonlight phonex101_**

"Make it to the bottom alive." Netero had instructed. I could feel irritation well up in me. I had wasted minutes as I realized that there were trap doors on the floor, and they couldn't be used more than once.

 _Get to the bottom!_ I mocked the chairman in my mind. _I'll get to the bottom with time to spare._ I stepped on a tile and fell through. "Yeep!" I squeaked. I fell into the arms of Gittarackur. I stared into his questioning eyes and felt warmth from the bond. "Uh... Thanks for that I guess." I slid out of his arms and motioned toward the watches. "Those for us?"

"It appears so." He answered. I shrugged and grabbed one and put it on my wrist and Gittarackur followed my example.

"Thank you. Your rule is 'yin and yang'." A voice from the speakers announced. The bracelets suddenly reacted, and suddenly my right wrist was attached to his left wrist. I stared at my right arm in absolute horror. "You will be stuck together while facing your obstacles. Good luck."

"We should get going." Gittarackur tugged on my wrist. I followed along as we continued through the twists and turns. It wasn't long until we happened upon an arena.

"And here's the kicker." I muttered.

"Both contestants must fight together in order to pass through this challenge." The voice announced, causing me to grumble.

"How good are you at adaption, perchance?" I asked.

"Well enough." Gittarackur responded as we made our way to the center of the ring.

"Then this ought to be fun. I hope you aren't left handed." I muttered. Cloaked and cuffed figures surrounded us.

"These inmates will serve as examiners. But be warned, for every hour you waste with them, a year gets shaved off of their sentences. This is an all out brawl, but they will try to waste time, or kill you." The voice informed over the speakers. "You may use whatever means at your disposal."

And just like that, it was over. The half surrounding him had needles sticking in their corpses, While my half of the arena was scattered with hard candies and corpses. "That was easy." I snorted. Gittarackur clacked in agreement.

"Please proceed." The proctor commanded through the speakers. A door opened for us to exit the arena room. Gittarackur and I made our way through the door and on to the next few challenges. When I saw the huge gap that was designed to halt me in my tracks, my eye twitched.

"This is a poor attempt at a joke." I glared at the gap. I didn't expect to be lifted into strong arms and carried across. I was pleased that the gap was the last obstacle, because I was sure that meant we would be released from each other. The door opened and Gittarackur walked through while still holding me.

"You can put me down now." I muttered. He clacked in responce instead of actually answering me.

"I figured you would already be here." He muttered to the waiting participant. Hisoka sat there, playing with his cards.

"You brought along a little mouse with you, I see~." Hisoka chuckled.

"Down!" I hissed at Gittarackur. He finally allowed me down, and I became aware that our wrists were no longer attached to one another. "Thank heavens." I pulled out a packaged melon bread and began to nibble on my treat. "It was starting to get monotonous, being literally stuck to someone." This caused Hisoka to chuckle.

"So very blunt. It becomes you~!" Hisoka complimented creepily. My eyes slid from my melon bread to the magician and I frowned.

"Why do you say that?" I tilted my head in confusion.

"It makes you less like a doll. But even more adorable~!" I felt a chill down my spine at his tone.

"That doesn't make any sense." I grumbled in consternation. I turned to Gittarackur. "Does that make sense?"

"You are kind of cute." He admitted through his clacking. My face went slack in complete shock.

"You... agree with him." I clarified. He gave a clattering shrug. "I... I am NOT cute!" They both smirked. "I'M NOT!"

"Whatever you say." Hisoka smirked cockily.

"You!... You-you... ughhhh, why me?" I lamented. I chomped down on my melon bread and sat to sulk. Gittarackur sat beside me and crossed his arms with a weird grin.

I ignored the both of them until a new participant entered the room. It was The bald ninja guy. "Ah! I'm not first!" He looked like he was about to start crying.

"At least you're here at all, right?" I smiled in a chilling manner. My irritation with these two nen users was wearing my patience thin. "Sit down and shut up."

Luckily, the others that made it through stayed quiet, and I was able to get some sleep.

* * *

Gittarackur POV

"She's so trusting. And she survived this long?" Gittarackur turned his eyes toward the three brothers that had arrived a few hours back. "Surprised she wasn't robbed blind or killed before she even got here."

"Yeah, what was she thinking, signing up for this? It's suicide for someone as defenseless as her." One of the others agreed.

Hisoka threw a card at their feet. "Careful now. She isn't as harmless as she appears." He warned with a disturbed smile. The three brothers startled back in fear.

Everyone lapsed back into silence. _I feel warmer with her nearby. Why is that?_ Gittarackur stared down at the small woman. It wasn't like she tried to seduce him. And women have, when he looked like himself. But so far, all that she had done was be polite when she wasn't aggravated at him. She hadn't tried to kill or sabotage him. The only glare she had sent at him was when he had called her cute, and it had been more annoyed and less hostile. _...Perhaps it is time to settle down? I will have to inform the family about this._

* * *

Normal POV

We were outside again, and I lifted my face to soak up the rays.

"Now, if you will come draw your lot in the order you finished, we can begin. Don't take the cover off of your lot until everyone has drawn." The proctor with a purple mohawk spoke loudly enough for us few who made it. Hisoka was the first to draw. And thanks to technicality, I was the second. It went on like that until everyone of the exam takers had their own lot. "Alright, you may reveal your lot."

I tugged off my sticker to see 1 staring back at me. I looked up to see a young man with the badge labeled 1. I figured it out before the proctor said anything. I tugged my tag off quickly, and tagged it onto the inside of my cloak.

"The number you have is your target. This phase is based on a point system. Your target's tag is worth three points. Your own tag is worth three points. Everyone else's tag is worth one point. You need six points to pass. You may use any means necessary to get your target's tag, but be careful, because there is someone after your tag, too."

I noticed that everyone else had hidden their tags except for Hisoka and Gittarackur. I looked up at the human pincushion to see his eyes on me. I raised my eyebrow at him, which he responded with a shake of his head.

I eyed my target, indicating that he wasn't my target either, and he gave a miniscule nod. It wasn't a very long ride to the island, but as I expected, it was filled with a tense atmosphere. I barely paid any mind to the talkative woman giving us the rundown, but I understood the gist of what was going to happen. I was going to get off the boat and be given two minutes before the next person followed. But only after Hisoka left the boat.

 _Fucking perfect._


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Thanks for the reviews: .3, guest**_ ** _Jacklyn, WhiteArcobaleno and the unnamed guest._** _ **And Thanks to my new followers: Leticia Gx,**_ ** _Milanienne and_** _ **ChiyukiLuvs2Glomp. Thanks is also in order for the favorites, to:**_ ** _Milanienne, WhiteArcobaleno, lnevoy. You guys give me motivation to continue. Hope this isn'ttoo long for your tastes. I personally love long chapters, but not everyone agrees. Anywho, enjoy. Also, before somebody says it's unlikely that Illumi would have drank the tea, I figured he would see no harm in it since poisons don't work on him._**

I watched my target sneaking about. I was pretty sure I was also his target. He was looking over his shoulder constantly, probably waiting for his pursuer to appear. He was creeping through the trees, trying his best to be silent. But it was already too late for him. I had him in my sights. He was doomed before he had even chosen his lot. I activated Time Lapse, stopping time for thirty seconds. I pulled the sword from my special bag and speared him to the ground and then deactivated my Time Lapse.

"How did you...?" The dying man rasped.

"Who cares. You'll be dead soon anyway." I took the tag from him and his lot number came with it. "Oh. You _did_ have my number. Too bad."

I pulled my sword from his gut and flicked off the blood and dropped it back into my little bag. That was when I decided to start looking around.

While wandering around, I saw Killua below, while I hung around the branches. "Killua!" I called down. He looked up in surprise.

"Big sis? What are you doing?" He questioned.

"Exploring." I jumped down. "I already have all of the points I need. Thought I'd look around and see what there is to see."

"Oh. You got yours pretty fast." Killua commended. I shrugged and offered a meat pie to him.

"Food?"

"Yeah. Thanks." He took the food. "But sis, when I get jumped or get my own tag, don't interfere, okay?" He looked up at me slightly.

"Of course. You have to earn this win yourself. What kind of big sister would I be if I didn't let you grow?" I smiled.

"Thanks." He grinned with a full mouth.

* * *

The week went by quickly. I spent the whole time walking alongside Killua. We shared snacks and enjoyed each other's company the entire time. When his tail finally showed himself, I jumped into the trees to watch. It had been a quick affair, and I had given him a candy for his success.

We were walking back to the boat when I felt warmth in my chest. I turned my head to see Gittarackur entering the clearing. I turned back away from him. My cheeks were pink, and I grew frustrated. _Get it together, girl! You don't even know the guy! "Gittarackur" probably isn't even his real name! You don't even know what he looks like! Or sounds like! The only things you know about him are that he exists and that he's strong._ I slapped my cheeks and kept my hands there.

"Ne~ big sis, are you alright?" I looked down at Killua. A soft smile played across my face.

"I'm okay, Killua. Just spacing out is all." I answered.

"Maybe that's how you get into so many accidents... But you looked embarrassed and mad." Killua pointed out. I felt as if I had turned to stone and shattered.

"I assure you, I was fully alert..." I could feel my face burning as I managed to squeak that out. "And never you mind about how I look." I shooed him up to the boat.

"Now you're really embarrassed, big sis." He teased before running ahead. I could feel an explosion of heat in my head.

"Cheeky little thing..." I grumbled. I covered my face with a hand, then peaked through my fingers with a smile. "But cute nonetheless. I wish I had him as a real brother." I sighed. My face had gone back to it's original color, so I put down my hand to see Gittarackur standing relatively nearby. Like he was trying to stick close to me, but not attract attention. I was probably over-thinking the situation.

"Little mouse~! You made it." Hisoka greeted me.

"Yes." I eyed him warily. The feeling of being his prey had disappeared after the airship incident, so I wasn't so sure where I stood with this guy. "I see you have swapped tags though. Someone take yours?" I couldn't help but needle him. His aura flared slightly.

"You could say that~..." He practically purred.

"I don't wanna know." I grumbled. I was ignoring the woman mostly as she tallied our points each. When Gon and his two companions arrived, I smiled to myself. Killua ran up to him to greet his green clad friend.

* * *

"Who do you have your eye on, and who would you like to fight the least?" Netero asked. I paused as I thought about it.

"Well, I feel the need to look out for number 99 and 405. But 44 and 301 are formidable, so I would be unwise if I didn't say I wanted to keep my eyes on them rather than my back to them should we be in the same company. But I would rather not fight 99 or 405. I would enjoy fighting 44 or 301 as a challenge perhaps." I answered. The old man nodded as he wrote something down.

"Thank you. You may go." He waved me off.

* * *

The fighting chart looked ridiculous. Where Gon and Hanzo had five tries, Gittarackur and I only had two tries. Not that we'd need any more than that. I watched the fight between Gon and Hanzo commence.

When Hanzo broke Gon's arm, I didn't think about it as killing intent started oozing from me. My hands gripped my elbows so hard, I could feel the bones in arms protesting. I watched as he was kicked around. I was so close to stopping time and taking off that cue ball's head or just leaving a bloody smear on the wall. I could feel my breath coming more ragged. I had passed furious at that point. There were no words. I noticed Gittarackur's head turn my way.

"If you don't give up, I'll cut your legs off!" Hanzo yelled.

"That's no good!" Gon replied to my disbelief.

I could feel the shock radiate throughout the room.

"I don't want to give up, but I don't want my legs chopped off either! Let's find another way to settle this." Gon continued to my amazement, eliciting chuckles from here and there.

 _Gon, you nutter! How can you be so adorably dense at a time like this?!_

"You idiot! If I kill you, I need only try again. You will have died for no reason." Hanzo growled as he poked a blade at Gon's forehead. I relaxed my arms finally when he suddenly put up the blade. "I lose. I give up."

"That's no good!" I could feel the urge to slam my head into a brick wall with Gon's outburst.

"I can't make you admit defeat, and I can't kill you. So I give up." _Yes. Just take it, Gon. Please. You're gonna give me ulcers with that attitude of yours._

I tried to ignore the rest of the matches after Gon had been knocked out. Hisoka admitted defeat to the blond friend of Gon's, Hanzo had his opponent surrender by threat of his arm breaking, Hisoka dueled with the old man, causing him to give up, Killua forfeited his first duel because he didn't see it as a challenge, and Gon's tall young friend asked to hold his duel until the old man well enough to battle and had the matches go on until then.

It was Killua's second duel that had me wishing I could shred Gittarackur.

"It's been a long time, Kil." Gittarackur said. _They know each other?_

"Huh?" Killua stared at Gittarackur in shock. That was when The pin riddled man began removing the pins in his head.

His face began to change until it was smooth and rather handsome. His hair regrew until he had a full head of black hair that went down passed his bottom. I felt heat in my cheeks and immediately tamped down the desire I felt upon seeingg Killua's expression of foreboding.

"Big brother." His voice shook. My eyes widened and darted back to my 'husband'.

 _What are the chances that the man I'm kind of married to is the big brother of one of the kids that calls me 'big sis'? What the hell did I do in my past life to warrant this?_

"Hey." Killua's big brother greeted the poor white mopped boy. "I heard you cut up Mom and Milluki."

"I guess." Killua attempted to sound unaffected, but was hindered by the cold sweat running down his face and neck.

"Mom was crying." 'Gittarackur' explained.

"Anyone would cry if their son did that to them." The tall friend of Gon's muttered.

"Tears of joy." He continued, causing the tall youth to fall in shock. "She was so happy to see that you'd grown up."

 _I hope I never meet this woman. Wait. Killua's last name is Zoldyck... As in THE Zoldyck?! The family of assassins? I'm married to an assassin?! Talk about someone you can never bring home to the folks._ I sweatdropped.

"But she was worried, so she asked me to look out for you. And what a surprise. I never knew you wanted to be a Hunter. I only signed up because a Hunter license would be useful for my next job." He admitted.

"I don't really want to be a Hunter. I just took the exam cuz I was bored." Killua confessed nervously. I frowned. I didn't like how he was reacting to his brother. I glared at the older combatant.

"I see. What a relief. In that case, I have some advice for you. You aren't meant to be a Hunter. You were meant to be an assassin. It felt like ice had invaded my spine. I looked at Killua to see his devastated face. "You're a puppet of darkness, without passion. You don't want anything or wish for anything. As a person who lives in the shadows, the only way you can feel pleasure is when people die." I glared at the older brother with the intensity of the sun. "That is how Dad and I raised you. What would you accomplish by becoming a Hunter?"

"True, I don't have any real desire to become a Hunter. But I do want something." Killua replied, sweat dripping down his chin and onto the floor.

"You don't." The elder brother replied.

"I do!" Killua shouted. "There is something that I really want!"

"Hmmm?" Elder brother seemed confused. "Tell me what it is that you want." Killua seemed taken aback at first. He hesitated. "What's wrong? There's nothing you really want, is there?"

"Of course there is." I scoffed loudly. The two brothers looked at me. "He probably is just having a hard time telling you because you wouldn't understand. Or probably not approve." I grumbled while folding my arms.

"I- I want to become friends with Gon..." Killua admitted. "I'm sick of killing people... I want to be friends with Gon and to live a normal life..." His head was bowed as if what he wanted was a crime.

"That's impossible. You'll never be able to make friends." My eyes blazed at those words. I could feel my bloodlust starting to seep from me in a steady trickle. "Your only concern when you meet someone is whether you should kill them or not. That's how you were trained. You just don't know how to classify Gon because he's too dazzling for your eyes. You don't actually want to become friends with him."

"You're wrong..." Killua protested weakly.

"If you stay with him, you'll end up killing him one day. You'll get the urge to see if you can kill him or not." My hair lifted just a bit in my extreme fury. "Because you have the soul of a killer." I dug my nails into my arm to avoid killing everyone in this room but Killua and his brother. I started to taste blood in the air as I realized I had made some pretty deep wounds.

I was saved from doing anything drastic by the tall youth. He started to step forward, but one of the proctors stopped him as they did in Gon's match. "I'm sorry, but as before..."

"I know." He addressed the proctor. He then turned his attention back to the white mopped boy. "Killua! I don't care if he's your brother! He's a worthless piece of crap!" I nodded in agreement. "Don't listen to him! Just beat the crap out of him like usual and win! You want to be friends with Gon? Are you stupid? You already are friends! I'm sure that's how Gon feels!"

"Exactly. And nothing he says can change that, Killua. Gon cares a lot about you. You are friends, after all." I agreed.

"Eh? Really?" The older brother questioned.

"Hell yeah, Idiot!" The tall teen shouted.

"Oh. That's not good. Gon considers Kil his friend." He seemed to brainstorm. He suddenly seemed to come to a conclusion. "Oh! Okay, I'll kill Gon."

 _THE HELL YOU WILL, ASSHOLE!_

"A killer doesn't need any friends. They'll only slow you down." He turned away from his horrified little brother. "Where is he?" He started to walk to the nearest door.

"Wait a minute!" One of the Proctor's tried to stop him, but he struck him with needles, making his face disfigured, and probably causing a lot of pain.

"Where is he?" He asked again.

"The waiting room over there..." The proctor whimpered before collapsing.

"Thank you." He continued toward the door. Poor Killua was frozen in horror. I moved before I could even think. I, Gon's two friends, and Hanzo were blocking the door. "Hm? This won't do. I need a Hunter license to do my job... but if I kill them, I will fail, and Kil will pass automatically. Oh, darn. The same thing will happen if I kill Gon." I could feel the bond trying to force me to stand down, but I resisted. I could see his hesitancy to harm me as he spoke aloud to himself. "I know! I'll pass the exam before killing Gon." He concluded with pride. As if I'd let him.

"Bastard..." The tall youth growled out.

"If I wait until I pass, I can kill everyone here and still keep my license, right?" The asshole asked the chairman.

"Yes, according to the rules." Netero shrugged.

"Did you hear that, Kil?" Asshole extraordinaire turned to his brother. "You have to beat me if you want to save Gon." He moved toward his little brother, holding his hand out. "Will you fight me for your friend's sake? You can't do it, because you're more worried about whether or not you can defeat me." He moved closer and closer to Killua. "And you already have your answer: "I'm not strong enough to beat my brother." "Never fight an enemy you can't beat." I drilled that into you..." He admitted. I wanted to kill something. Killua raised his foot, whether to fight or flee, I wasn't sure. "Don't move. If you move an inch, I'll assume the fight has begun. If our bodies make contact, I'll assume the fight has begun. There is only one way to stop me. You know what that is. But don't forget.. If you don't fight me, your dear Gon will die." He was so close to touching him.

"Take him out, Killua! We won't let him kill you or Gon! We'll stop him whatever it takes! Let him have it!" The tall youth shouted. I nodded my agreement again.

"I surrender. I lose..." Killua whispered. I could sense the boy's despair from where I stood.

"Oh, that's good! Then the battle's over." The miserable excuse for a human clapped his hands in delight. He made his way back to his little brother. "Hahaha! I lied, Kil. I lied about killing Gon. That was a little test. But now I have my answer." He placed a hand on Killua's shoulder and bent down to murmur in his ear. "You don't have the right to make friends. Nor do you need friends. You should just listen to Dad and me, and do your job as you always have. When the time comes, I'll tell you to take the hunter exam. You don't need a license yet."

Killua's eyes stayed focused on the floor. We all made our way back to the others, though I moved to the other side, near Killua. Any time _it_ looked my way, I sent a frosty glare. The space between us must have felt like a blizzard blew in to the unfortunate souls standing between us.

"Killua. You know he's wrong, right?" I finally spoke to the white mopped child. "Nobody expected you to fight your brother over something like that. Gon wouldn't hold it against you. The only one who can determine whether or not you deserve him as your friend is Gon. And I know he would agree with me when I say that you more than deserve it." I petted his hair. I could see that nothing was reaching. The other two tried to say encouraging things until the tall youth had to go up.

Before I could comprehend what had happened, Killua had killed the old man. It was over as soon as it begun. My heart sank, as I saw the despairing look on Killua's face.

"Killua..." I whispered.

"He's dead." One of the proctors confirmed.

"Due to your actions, you are disqualified." The chairman announced, turning to Killua. Killua said nothing as he opened the doors and left.

I let my full rage unleash itself as I stared at the bastard that broke my pseudo little brother's spirit. My hair rose, my eyes glowed, and the whole room felt choked up with my bloodlust. Those not accustomed to such feelings hit their knees at the weight of my aura. I made contact with him, and made sure that he knew that was the cause of my unbridled fury.

 _If only I could kill you..._


	6. Chapter 6

**_A/N: Hello! Thank you to all my readers for reading, my reviewer: Robotic Unicorn Ninja Cookie, my favorites: Robotic Unicorn Ninja Cookie, and_** ** _Ijustdon'tcare132_** ** _, and my followers: Robotic Unicorn Ninja Cookie,_** ** _Ijustdon'tcare132, and Titaania_** ** _. You keep me going. Also, I would like to point out that we will be swinging of the script almost entirely. Sorry. But I did kind of throw a proverbial wrench into the plans of things called Akiko. Also I don't own Hunter X Hunter._**

I ignored the man I now knew was named Illumi Zoldyck. He had sat next to me, and I was getting increasingly agitated with his sideways glances. Husband or no, I hated his guts. The others were debating on whether or not Killua should have been disqualified. A loud bang at the back of the room caused a good half of the room turned to look. I didn't have to turn to know it was Gon, and that he was pissed.

I listened to his even steps as he descended the stairs to stand beside me. I looked at him through the corners of my eyes. Oh, he was pissed. He stared at the man invading my personal space. I got up and moved a few rows up to sit back down.

"Apologize to Killua." Gon spoke evenly.

"Apologize?" Illumi questioned.

"You're telling me you don't know what you've done wrong?" Gon seemed to be getting more and more ticked.

"Nope." Illumi seemed unaffected by the green clad youth's fury.

"You said he doesn't deserve to be my friend, but you don't deserve to be his brother." Gon claimed loudly.

"I have to earn the right to be his brother?" Illumi seemed to be mocking Gon. That must have been when Gon's patience snapped. He grabbed Illumi's arm and jerked him clear over his head, only for the asshole to land on his feet, on the other side of Gon.

"I hope he breaks that arm." I muttered under my breath. Illumi glanced up at me. I had leaned chin into my palms with my elbows supporting the weight on the desk. He looked back down to the springy child holding his arm captive. I could see the grip tightening.

"He doesn't have to the right to be my friend, either." The grip tightened harshly. I felt the bones in his arm protesting, and I took pleasure in his discomfort. Until I started feeling worried for Illumi.

I grew alert at that. I prodded the link in my mind to see it growing stronger. Whereas most links were only thread thin, mine was becoming as thick as a cable cord. _What the fuck is happening? I'm going to have to make a stop at the village to talk to the village elders about this. This isn't good. At all._

"You don't have to apologize. Just take me to Killua." Gon finally demanded.

"What will you do then?" Illumi asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to bring him back." Gon retorted.

"You act like I kidnapped my little brother, but he walked out of his own free will." Illumi continued to keep a blank face, but I could tell he was surprised about Gon's strength.

"He didn't leave of his own free will. You manipulated him, which is basically the same thing." Gon continued to tighten his grip.

"We were actually discussing that." Netero commented, gesturing toward Kurapika, as I learned his name was.

"I was just saying that he didn't seem like himself, like he was being controlled." Kurapika spoke up.

"And I was saying that if anything, he might have been trying to help me." Leorio piped in. I shook my head in exasperation.

I kind of zoned out for a moment, my eyes locked on Illumi's arm. _I shouldn't feel worried. I should feel glad. He fucked up Killua's mind. I'm still angry at him. I still want to kill something. But I'm worried about him. And the bond only keeps growing stronger, the more we interact, whether good or bad. Fuck!_

"If you aren't satisfied, start working until you are 's done is done." Gon finally spoke up again. "It's regrettable that he failed this time, but Killua can take it again next time. But if I find out you've made Killua kill against his will this entire time... I will NEVER forgive you."

"You'll never forgive me? What will you do?" Illumi challenged.

"I won't do anything. Except after I rescue Killua, You'll never see him again." Gon answered with all the conviction of a judge sending the accused to their death.

"Hm..." Illumi started to reach for Gon, causing him to jump away. I had moved quickly enough so that I was between the two.

"Not on your life." I hissed. But for the most part, the venom I had built up in my voice had evaporated. He stopped moving to look into my eyes. I saw it. A spark of... affection of some sort?

"Ahem." Chairman interrupted. "Is everyone finished? Gon is absolutely correct. You must decide for yourself if you were worthy of passing. You may complain all you like, but we will not change our minds. Killua has been disqualified. And the rest of you have passed the exam. Just as someone who has failed can no longer pass, someone who has passed can no longer fail." It was at that point that he turned back to Bean to continue the orientation.

I closed my eyes, half listening to the small green man. I wanted to head out as soon as possible, to get things straightened out and get to Killua.

* * *

"Gittarackur" Gon called out. I looked up at the two standing off as I made sure to deposit my license into my void bag. Only I could activate it, so it was insanely handy.

Illumi had turned toward the boy. "Tell me where Killua is." Gon demanded.

"Are you really going to take him away? I think that's a bad idea." Illumi informed him.

"Who cares what you think!" Gon shouted. His temper cooled quickly, so he spoke at a normal leevel next. "Killua is my friend. I'm taking him with me." As he spoke, his friends appeared behind him.

"I see. Do they agree?" Illumi asked, nodding at them slightly. Gon turned in confusion.

"You bet." Leorio affirmed. Both friends nodded in assurance to their shorter friend. Illumi put a finger to his lips as he thought it through.

"Fine. I doubt you'll be able to make it there anyway. Killua went home." Illumi informed them.

"Where is that?" Gon asked.

"Kukuroo mountain. Our family lives at the very top."

"Kukuroo mountain?" Leorio mused.

"Got it. Thanks." Gon said. He turned to leave.

"Gon-chan." I called calmly. He turned back, looking passed Illumi to me. "I'll meet you there. I have very important business to attend to right now, but I intend to meet you there, okay?"

"You want to come, too?" Gon asked.

"Of course. You both are the little brothers I never had. I'll do almost anything for you two. And he needs us." I smiled.

"Okay. We'll see you there!" Gon waved at me as he ran off.

I turned my attention to the pin user for a moment before dismissing him completely and walked away.

* * *

Illumi POV

"Was it wise for you to give away your base of operations?" Hisoka spoke up.

"Sure! It isn't a secret or anything. The locals all know where we live." Illumi replied. "Well, I'm sure they'll see the light once they arrive. We live in completely different worlds... Besides. It'll give Akiko-chan some time to get accustomed to the family." Illumi noticed Hisoka's attention drift to his arm. The one the boy had grabbed. "Oh, this? Yep, it's broken."

Hisoka grinned in his usual manner, but stayed silent. "He has incredible potential." Illumi mused. "I can see why you want him to grow up."

They both spied the three boys making their way away from them.

"Didn't I tell you?"

 _But that makes him all the more dangerous. This would be the best chance to..._ Illumi noticed the look on Hisoka's face.

"Gon is my prey." Hisoka warned. His face portrayed his deadly seriousness. "Touch him, and you'll suffer the consequences."

"I know. I've only known you a short time, but I know your tastes." He turned to leave in the opposite direction. He paused long enough to ask, "So, Hisoka, what are you going to do now?"

"Wait patiently." He replied. Illumi was satisfied with his answer, and chose to depart. But not before hearing Him continue in a lewd tone. "For the fruit to ripen..."

He pulled out a phone to call the main house. "Father." He greeted. "I just thought I'd let you know that I've found a woman... Yes, but I don't think she's happy with me... She's going to be arriving at the manor... She may not accept the title right now... I plan to win her over... Yes... Of course... Please inform Gotoh he is to inform me if she is to appear... Her name is Akiko."

* * *

Akiko POV

"Akiko! You're home!" Mama called. The other villagers poked their heads out of their homes.

"Akiko!"

"Akiko's home!"

"It's Akiko!"

Whispers and mutters filled the main path.

"Something's different."

"Yeah. Like she's..."

"Bonded?"

"Where's her partner then?"

"Lovey, where is your bonded?" Mama frowned. I shuffled my feet and blushed.

"He's on a job right now... And we don't see eye to eye at the moment." I looked my mother in the eye. "But I'm not here for pleasure. I need to speak to the elders. I need answers, and I have little time for setbacks."

"Of course. Come, he should be awake by now." She ushered me through paths and up steps. I made it to the celebrated elder's home.

"Elder. My daughter seeks enlightenment." We both bowed to the figure behind the paper screen.

"Leave us." The elder opened his screen door. Mama obeyed, backing down the steps a respectful distance before turning around and heading home.

"What is on your mind, child?" The elder inquired to my bowing form.

"I have been bonded-" I started slowly.

"Congratulations." The elder interrupted. "Your life llong bond is a celebrated event. Are you not happy?"

"I think something is wrong with our bond. It keeps getting stronger. All my childhood, I was told that it would be about as thick as a thread. But mine is thick as a cable cord. And they said it wouldn't hinder anything. But it's festering positive emotions where there should be none. It was an accidental bonding because he didn't think there'd be any repercussions he couldn't handle when he brewed the tea he found. My pocket had torn and the jar fell without my knowledge. I know I'll be bonded for life, but I thought I'd never have to deal with any blow backs..." I trailed off. "What is happening to the bond?"

"In most cases, it is as thin as a thread. But during some cases, when the female is born on the full moon, and when the other party is extremely compatible, the bond becomes so strong that the two parties cannot think of being with any other. He is probably feeling the same effects without any knowledge of what is transpiring. Perhaps you should explain to him the next time you meet."

"Yes, elder. So... this is... nothing bad?" I questioned.

"No, my dear. It is a very good thing. Even if you are having troubles with him. Was this all you needed?"

"If... I gave him more tea, would our bond grow stronger?" I asked. "Would it even be safe?"

"It can get stronger. But it will never become dangerous to you or him. Not physically, at least." He answered.

"Thank you, elder. Now, I must be away. I have so much to do." I stood and quickly exited his home. "Please send my farewells to everyone."

"Of course. The village will miss you." He patted my head


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Hello, readers! This where I start diverging from the original more. Things will move further away from the original story as the story goes on. I enjoy knowing there are people reading and enjoying my work. Please enjoy.**_

I walked up to the giant gate as the guide lady continued to talk about the Zoldyck family. I stared up at the many leveled gate door and was approached by the guard.

"Miss?" the elderly addressed me. I turned to look at him and realized that he could give me the information I needed.

"Yes, have three boys come through here?" I questioned. It was sunset, and I was ready to get things moving.

"Ah, yes. They opened the gate this morning." He replied. I nodded and went to open the gate, only to be stopped by the guard's question. "What is your name?"

"Akiko. My name is Akiko." I answered to the guards surprise.

"Akiko-sama!" He uttered quietly, before scrambling back to the booth.

I stared after the old man, then shrugged and pushed on the gate, to open the sixth level of the gate. I paused for a moment as I wondered if it was significant in any way, before shrugging again and walking in. I continued to follow the path Gon seemed most likely to use at a quick pace, finding them at a stone wall, crouched over a young woman. They didn't notice me at first.

"That looks pretty bad." I commented and they jumped in surprise.

"Big sis! You made it!" Gon crowed with pleasure. He then blushed when he noticed my cloak was missing altogether. "Ne, sis... Your cloak..."

"It's in my special bag." I chuckled while patting the seemingly empty bag. They looked down at it in confusion. I chuckled, then got back to the matter at hand. "Having trouble getting to Killua?"

"A little. His mom says that he says he can't see us. But I think she's lying." Kurapika answered before the others could.

"Most definitely. Only problem is, which way do we go to get Killua?" I frowned.

"I... will take you to the butler's mansion and you might be able to talk to Killua from there. If Zeno answers the phone..." The young lady winced as she spoke and sat up.

"Hold on. We don't want you to get in trouble!" Gon tried to reason.

"They already know what I'm doing, so I might as well." She answered as she stood, dusting herself off.

"Alright. Lead the way, then." I gestured ahead of us. She nodded, and turned to show us the way.

* * *

We arrived at the front of the mansion, my eyes searching everywhere for danger. The other butlers were lined outside in greeting. "Welcome, friends of Killua-sama." The man in the middle spoke as he rose from his bow. We were invited in. "Killua-sama will be here soon. Please wait here while waiting for him to arrive." He turned and stared at me for a moment before entering the house.

"Okay." Gon agreed. We quickly moved to a sitting room to wait for my little Killua. While the others sat, I stayed standing.

"While we wait, why do't we play a game?" The head butler offered. The others agreed. The first few were easy, so I started to look around myself. That was when my phone rang. Everyone stopped moving as I froze for a moment.

"I forgot I had one of these things." I muttered as I stuck my entire arm in my bag, reaching for the phone. After I pulled it out and turned to the nearest person. "Is there somewhere I could take this in relative privacy?" I asked.

"Right this way, madam." He showed me to a room not far from the room they were in and pulled the door almost closed.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Akiko! Everybody is saying you showed up, bonded and without your lover! Seriously? And you didn't even come to see me?" My friend practically shrieked.

"Sorry. I had pressing matters to attend to. And he was on a job. I'll make it up to you next time I drop by." I tried to placate my good friend.

"So you DID bond?! Really? What's he like?" She started asking a dozen questions.

"I don't have the time or the patience to answer that." I massaged the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes, as my head started to ache. "I'll call you later hun. I've got important business to attend to still. I have to go, okay?"

"Fine. But you owe me, girl!" She claimed cheerfully before the dial tone could be heard.

"Yeah. Bye." I muttered to the disconnected line. I walked out to see more people in the room, grouped together. People I realized must be all of the Zoldycks. Well... all except for Killua and Illumi. I turned to Gon to see him talking to a familiar head of white fluff. I smiled faintly. A warmth grew in my chest and I felt so hap-... Never mind, it was just Illumi entering the room. I sighed as I glared at the pin user. I was vaguely aware of the family watching our interaction, but decided to ignore all of them.

"Killua-chan!" I took a step toward the twelve year old, but froze as I caught sight of his face. I froze as my mind processed what I was seeing. I wasn't able to hold back the fury and blood lust that washed over the room and almost suffocated some of the younger people in the room. My head turned slightly and tilted back to look at the family. " **Who is responsible for thisssss?** " My voice only added to the oppressive atmosphere. I was unaware of my eyes glowing or my hair starting to float. My eyes zeroed in on the fat one looking rather frightened and sweaty. My body turned, causing my head to tilt slightly as I took a step toward the stupid Zoldyck.

"Big sis, don't." Killua intervened from behind. I paused at his request, tilting my head back to eye him from the side. "He isn't worth it. Besides... I volunteered to atone." I turned back to the boy. I completely ignored everyone else as I made a slow path to him. I still didn't seem calm, so Illumi moved to stop me by grabbing my arm. I jerked away and glared at him. I turned my eyes back to Killua and attacked him with a hug. Any sign of threat instantly vanished.

"You shouldn't do that Killua. I almost killed your brother." I chastised him gently. "Don't you want to keep him? In case he's useful later?" I pet his soft hair. "So. We have who we came for. Let's go?" I turned to the green clad boy. Gon nodded with a grin. We were making our way out when Illumi grabbed me by the wrist.

A jolt ran up my arm and throughout the rest of my body. I froze. My eyes found their way to my captured wrist. "Please don't go yet." Illumi almost sounded like he was begging. I followed his hand up his arm to his shoulder, to his neck, to his face.

"What do you want, Illumi?" I almost growled.

"Your agreement to marry me." He answered in a matter-of-fact manner.

"EHHHHHH?" The four boys in my group shouted in unison.

"Nope." I answered quickly, without emotion. With a blank expression, I broke his hold on my wrist and turned to usher the boys out of the manor. "Bye, now."

"What must I do to earn your approval?" I asked, in a matching tone as he followed me out, followed by his family.

"Nothing. It'll never happen. I'll never accept you." I answered. I tried to hurry them, because I could feel the need to turn around and plaster myself to him.

"Please hear me out." Illumi called to my retreating form. Killua stopped moving, causing me to sigh and turn to face the long haired young man.

"What." I said flatly.

"Give me time to prove myself worthy to you." Illumi proposed. "At the end, you can tell me to leave you alone for good. But only after the time has come to an end."

"How long would I have to deal with you?" I nearly groaned.

"A year." He said.

"No deal." Immediate shut down. "I can barely stand being around you for as long as I have today. A year is far too long."

"Then six months?" He tried to compromise. I hesitated as I thought about it. I looked down at Killua, who met my eyes and nodded.

"Fine. But in that time, if you so much as look at Killua wrong, I'll end it right then and there, and you can look elsewhere for a possible wife." I set up rules on the spot. "And if you try to control either of us, this deal is forfeit. I will NOT be making this easy on you."

"Of course not." He nodded.

"We will wait at the gate for you, so that you can grab anything you need. When we get to the gate, if you aren't there within three hours, we will leave you behind." I continued. He nodded. I noticed the family was smirking behind him. I narrowed my eyes at them. I turned around to depart, then thought better of it. I turned back to them. "And after the six months, I will give you permission to DATE me. I will not marry you right off the bat. And that's even if you make it past the six months." With that, I ushered the boys down the path.

* * *

 _Two hours, thirty minutes._ I thought as I checked how long we had been waiting. The boys looked worn down and were sitting against the wall. I smiled at the boys, feeling warmth build up in my chest. _Dammit, Illumi!_

"I'm ready to go when you are." He announced. I looked at the boys to see them dusting themselves off.

They nodded to me in a silent gesture to begin the trip to get airship tickets. I began walking alongside them without a word. Illumi trailed after us, and I could feel his eyes on the back of my head. _Great... Just another complication._


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: Hello, readers! Thank you, to Kiroro Gakiru,**_ ** _Max, and to the mysterious Guest_** _ **for your reviews! They made my day! And thanks to**_ ** _Dementra_** _ **for the follow! You guys are my motivation.**_

"So where are we headed?" I asked as I haphazardly braided a few strands of my own hair together. Illumi had chosen a seat next to me and continued to try to maintain body contact of some kind. As I spoke, his knee was touching mine. I looked down at it with annoyance and moved my legs further away. "Do you two have a clue?" I let go of my hair to see it unravel and tilted my head in question.

"Yeah. Gon said he's going to give Hisoka back the tag. But first he has to get stronger. What better place than heaven's arena?" Killua answered with a smile.

The only reason I didn't know any of this was because Illumi had taken me to a private car on the train, and then dragged me to get food after Leorio and Kurapika left. I must have kept my head tilted too long, because Illumi leaned toward me to rest my head on his shoulder and rested his own head on mine.

A jolt ran up my spine and I pulled away from him. I gave him an annoyed look but became distracted by the boys attempting to hide their snickers. I lifted an eyebrow at the two. "Something funny boys?" I leaned my head into my hand closest to the window to avoid more of Illumi's brand of affection. The boys grinned.

"You two act like a quarreling couple." Gon pointed at me. I clicked my tongue in disapproval.

"Quarreling? Maybe, but couple? Not hardly." I yawned in boredom. I reached into my bag to pull out a book to read. Upon realizing that the only ones I had on my person were gushy romances, I decided to pull out a puzzle to play with as my face reddened. I was still trying to get one piece to slip out of the other pieces when the airship landed. I had been aware of Illumi's eyes watching me for the entire ride, and tried to ignore him.

"Big sis, we're here!" Killua leaned forward and kissed my cheek. My head popped up at the same time as the metal piece came free of the rest of the puzzle. I looked up at the boys as they took off to exit the airship. I laughed at their enthusiasm and dropped the puzzle back in the bag to work on later. I ignored Illumi with a smile on my face and followed after the boys.

"Hold on, you two. Don't be so hasty." I called. I chuckled as I walked at a brisk pace to catch up to the two hyper boys. "Do you want me to just watch and cheer you on, or would you prefer I also participate?" I asked curiously.

"We want to see big sis fight!" Gon exclaimed. I grinned as I looked down at his excited face.

"Alright then. I'll participate, too." Killua wrapped his arms around my waist in a tight hug. I ruffled his hair, then stopped for a moment as I felt a strange little knot. I quickly stopped time and checked quickly to see the head of a pin pressed firmly against his scalp. My temper flared, but I reigned it in as I carefully removed the pin with deft fingers. I knew that would hurt when time started back, but I had no choice but to fix what Illumi had broken. Time started back up, and a line of blood dribbled down Killua's forehead.

"Huh? Why am I bleeding?" Killua questioned as I quickly began searching mybag for gauze and tape.

"Not sure, but let me stop the bleeding really fast." I answered. I was so angry, but I bit my tongue to avoid a scene in front of people. I quickly cleaned the wound and bandaged it up, turning ever so slightly to glare at the source of this problem. He watched with a seemingly detached look on his face. "Go on, now. Get in line. If I get assigned a higher level, do you want me to stay with you or go on ahead?" I asked.

"Go on ahead, of course. Ne, big sis? Can I talk to you in private?" Killua asked. I tilted my head slightly and nodded my acquiescence. We walked a bit away from the other two, sure to be far enough for Illumi and Gon to not be able to hear us or read our lips. "What about that guy you bonded to? Can't you just tell Illumi about him and the effects of the tea?" He cut to the chase.

I sighed. "Illumi is that guy." I admitted.

"EHHHHHHHH?" Killua shouted, drawing our other two companion's attention. I shushed him quickly. "You mean you really are my big sis, but Illumi doesn't know?" He questioned in confusion.

"I guess so. But I'm not ready to tell him that yet. Besides. We aren't married according to the rest of society, so I'm not completely shackled to him yet." I explained.

"I hope he proves good enough." Killua said out of the blue after thining to himself.

My eyes widened. "Huh?"

"I would love you to be my real big sister someday." He smiled calmly up at me, to my growing embarrassment. "Besides. Even though you are really good at hiding it, I can tell you're happy with him by you." He turned back around to rejoin Gon in line for registration to the Heaven's Arena. I stared after him in bemusement, which turned to aggravation.

 _These Zoldycks are gonna drive me crazy!_ I watched Killua and Gon interact for a moment before turning my attention to the older Zoldyck. _I guess I don't mind so much, though. As crazy goes, this isn't half bad._

"Hey, big sis." Killua called back to me as I leisurely walked back to the group. "If you get to a floor with rooms included, are you and brother gonna share a room?" Killua's face was contorted into a mischievous grin as I turned the color of a tomato.

I opened my mouth to respond in the negative when arms wrapped around my torso and his voice spoke up next to my ear. "That's a great idea, Kil! I think we will."

 _I take that back. It's so bad. I'm gonna lose my mind!_

* * *

We had reached level two hundred that day, and though we each could have our own room, Illumi had decided we should share a room to help us get to know each other better. I fell into the single bed that was, thankfully, big enough to fit us both comfortably and closed my eyes. By comforably, I meant no touching. When Illumi Sat on the other side of the bed and stared at me, I opened my eyes to stare back, defiantly.

"This side of the bed is mine. That side is yours. You get onto my side at night, and I notice or you touch me, you get pushed out of bed. Simple as that." I informed him. He stayed silent as he continued to stare. I took that as acceptance and lifted myself off of the bed. I grabbed my bag and sauntered into the bathroom to get changed. As I dug for my pajamas, I came across why Iwas so angry with him today, in the first place. I set the pin down and quickly got changed into my lilac cotton camisole and plush grey pants, nixing a bra completely. I walked back through the door to see him in a black undershirt and black cotton pajama bottoms, reading a book of some sort. I flicked the pin at him in irritation, and he caught it with no problem. He raised his eyes from his book to look me in the eye. "If I ever find out you've done _that_ again, you will regret it, dearly." I hissed.

"What will you do?" He asked me, much like he had with Gon.

"You will never see Killua and I again. And aside from Killua, You will be the last Zoldyck. You will be alone in this world for the rest of your days." My bloodlust flooded the room as I hissed my promise to him. He watched, seemingly unaffected, while my aura lifted my hair and caused my eyes to glow.

"You really are beautiful when you're angry. But I won't do it again. I would like to be allowed to stay by you after all." He finally spoke, sounding like he had when he had told Killua he was lying about killing Gon.

"Glad to see we understand each other, then." And with that, I collapsed back into my side of the bed, my bloodlust diminished to nothing. I closed my eyes so that I could get some rest.

I had fallen asleep so fast, that I didn't feel the careful hands tucking me in.


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Thank you, Kiroro Gakiru for your continued support, and to the enigmatic Guest reviewer for your awesome review! Also, thanks is in order for ReimiSugimoto,**_ ** _Nameless Angel 00, and IllumiZoldyckFanGirl aka Kiroro Gakiru,_** _ **for the follows and Nameless Angel 00, and**_ ** _IllumiZoldyckFanGirl aka Kiroro Gakiru_** _ **for the favorite! Thank you guys for being awesome!**_

I opened my eyes the next day to come face to face with a bouquet of red roses. My eyes widened and I blushed as my brain processed what happened. I immediately jolted myself out of the strange haze with a look of annoyance and sat up. Illumi was nowhere to be seen. I shrugged as I tried to work out the kinks in my shoulders. I got up from bed and started getting dressed in a new sleeveless, high neck, black dress that fit the form of my torso, but flowed from my hips to my knees. I turned back to the roses with a guilty but conflicted face, my conscious gnawing at me.

"Best to not waste them..." I muttered to no-one as I set them in a vase and made sure they had plenty of water. Once sure they wouldn't go dry, I set them on a table nearby.

Once that was done, I dug in my bag to retrieve my 'dancing shoes', which were simple black heeled sandals, and music player. I made sure the speakers were loud as I turned it on to Glad You Came. I quickly strapped on my shoes and tested my balance, then started with a few slow twirls to start. I continued with a dance style that was a mix of ballet, pop, and Latin dance moves, and completely ignored the rest of the world.

* * *

Illumi POV

Illumi unlocked the door to the room he shared with Akiko to hear music pouring from the speakers. He hesitated to open the door in his confusion.

"Are we going to stay out here?" Hisoka asked. He leaned on the wall beside Illumi.

"No. I just wasn't expecting music." He admitted. Hisoka perked up.

"You think you have the wrong room?" He kept a serious expression on his face.

"No. It just means she's awake." Illumi shrugged as he pushed open the door, to reveal the tiny redhead dressed in black and dancing to her music. He froze at the sight of her. Her eyes were closed, but she moved with grace; which was surprising, given how clumsy she could be sometimes. Her body moved with the fluidity of water, making her look the deadly vixen she truly was.

"My, my..." Hisoka murmured quietly. "I had no idea the little mouse could be so light-footed~."

Illumi didn't bother answering, as the woman captivated his attention. Hisoka noticed Illumi's distraction and smirked as the nimble redhead continued her fluid movements.

As the last note of the song sounded, her feet stilled, keeping her weight on her left leg. She gave a deep sigh, then opened her eyes, meeting the eyes of both Illumi and Hisoka. She pinked a little.

"How long have you two been there?"

* * *

"How long have you two been there?" I asked in mortification. I turned off my music player before the next song could play.

"Long enough to see your beautiful dancing~." Hisoka teased to my abject horror.

"You dance very well, Akiko." Illumi complemented. I sighed in defeat.

"Whatever." I walked to my bag and pulled out an over the shoulder purse. I checked for my wallet, and nodded to myself. "That ought to do it." I situated the purse and made to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" Illumi asked. I halted in my steps and turned to him.

"I'm getting something to eat. The boys won't be up here for a while yet, and I am not secluding myself in this building.

"Does it count as seclusion if I'm here?" He asked with a tilt of his head.

"You're right. It's worse than seclusion." I answered in an exasperated tone. I made it to thee door before he called out to me.

"That's not very nice." I slammed the door in reply.

* * *

I was walking around, looking for a place to find a good meal when my eyes spied a giant teddy. I could feel my face turning pink with delight. I was sure my eyes were shining like a child's as I made a beeline toward the plush toy bigger than me. I knew I wasn't going to buy it, but I never passed up the chance to at least hug a plush toy that big.

I set it down, then exited the shop to continue my quest to find a shop that sold good food. I followed my nose to a food stand that sold takoyaki. I ordered a plate full with octopus, and green onions, then continued to survey my surroundings as I ate. It wasn't long until I got bored and decided to see what the boys were up to.

"Hello?" Killua's voice sounded through the speaker of my phone.

"Hello! What are you two up to right now?" I asked in a cheerful tone. I was on my way back when I saw more hard candies for sale. I was running low, so I decided to grab a few bags of the floral flavored ones.

"Gon just passed level one hundred, and I'm about to be up any moment. How are you doing?" Killua answered.

"Already in the two hundreds, and waiting on a good time to fight. I have three months to fight, so I'm taking it easy right now. I popped a honeysuckle flavored candy in my mouth and smiled.

"Oh?" Killua sounded surprised. "How are you and Illumi doing?" He sounded amused.

"We're doing great." I answered sarcastically, a bit of irritation leaked into my voice. "I'm still mad at him, though."

"Illumi is Illumi. That's just how he is sometimes." Killua blew it off. "It's how e grew up."

"That still doesn't make it okay!" I nearly shouted into my phone, flustered a bit. I stepped into the elevator that would take me to my room. I waited a bit before continuing. "...But he is definitely making an effort." I huffed as I admitted. "I'll give him credit for that, at least." The doors opened and I walked down the hall, and started to unlock the door.

"I can't wait to be an uncle!" Killua's excited voice caused me to turn cherry red.

"NOBODY SAID ANYTHING ABOUT CHILDREN!" I shouted while holding the phone in front of my face, not minding the two still in the room. I put the phone back to my ear. "Please don't ever say that again." I covered my face with my free hand and sat down on my side of the bed with a huff. I looked up to see both men watching me very closely. "I'll call you back, okay?"

"Okay, big sis. Bye!" The line went dead. I stared at the phone for a moment.

"Honestly." I sighed and fell back, my hair sprawling to the other side of the bed.

"Who was talking about children~?" Hisoka asked, a teasing lilt in his voice.

I groaned. "Killua was. Not that it's any of your business." I lifted myself back up into a sitting position and glared at Illumi. "Did you get that in his head?"

"I haven't spoken to Kil since we left home." Illumi informed me. I tisked to myself, peeved about the whole situation.

 _"I may be bad, but I'm perfectly good at in the air, I don't care, I love the smell of it. Sticks and stones may break my bones but chains and whips excite-"_

"How did you change your ringtone from default?" I snapped at my close friend, Yoite.

"Technology. You know I'm a wiz at this sorta stuff. So whatcha up to?" She asked, no doubt, twirling in her spinning chair.

"If you keep doing that, you'll get dizzy." I evaded the question, then held my phone away from my ear as a crash sounded from the other end.

"How the hell do you _do_ that?" She shouted.

"I know you. What did you need?" I asked.

"I was wondering when you were going to bring your lover home." I could see that both men could hear her loud mouth. I had the universal expression for 'dammit' displayed across my face. "Is he still too busy with work?"

"Yoite... I probably won't ever bring him home, even if he isn't working." I could feel a hostile aura starting to fill the room. I looked up to see Illumi glaring at the wall. "Besides, lover is a bit of a stretch on what he is to me. But, no, he isn't on a job right now."

"Ehhhhh? Why not? We're all dying to meet him?" She exclaimed.

"He's... not the type I would want my friends and family to meet, to be honest." I eyed him warily as his bloodlust started to seep out of his control. Hisoka was smirking and eyeing the two of us. What was wrong with him? Was he mad I didn't want him to meet my family?

"Awww... Well, you have your reasons, I suppose." Yoite reasoned to herself.

"Yeah... Hey, I'll talk to you later, okay? I have something important to do at the moment." I pulled a face at Illumi's disturbing behavior. He was just sitting there, motionless in his chair, and it was beginning to bug me. I hung up, not listening to her reply. I Cautiously stepped toward him, eyeing Hisoka, giving him the nonverbal sign to leave. He nodded with a smirk and proceeded to exit our room.

"Hey. What's the matter?" I kept my voice soft as I knelt at his feet to meet his eyes. "Is it because I said I won't bring you home to meet my family?" I asked gently. He perked up as I spoke, his hostile aura disappeared entirely.

"Oh." His face cleared in surprise.

"Oh?" I tilted my head.

"I thought there was someone else." He admitted. I rose from the floor with a scoff and stared down at him.

"I wouldn't have agreed to this arrangement if there was someone else. Don't insult me." I rolled my eyes at him. He looked into my eyes with a barely there smile.

"I'm glad." He lifted himself a little with one arm to reach his other hand into my tresses at the back of my scalp. "I want you all to myself." He pulled me down into a kiss, his lips slanting across mine, causing me to lose myself in a fog as he invaded my senses.

 _He smells like fir, and spices... cologne, probably... and steel..._ My eyes drifted shut and my hands found purchase on his biceps as I was lost in the kiss for a moment. Suddenly, I was snapped out of my kiss induced haze and broke the kiss by tumbling back onto my bottom, face red, eyes wide and mouth covered by my hands.

His strange, soft smile left me speechless. "How does curry sound for dinner tonight? I'll take you out." He proposed. I nodded, hands still over my mouth and face still red. My eyes stayed glued to him as he stood from his seat and walked casually toward the door. "Good. Seven sound good to head out?" Again I nodded. "Alright. I'll be back. I still have to tell Hisoka some things." And with that, he exited the room.

 _Dear Kami, what have I gotten myself into... and what do I wear?!_


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: Hello, lovely readers! Thank you,**_ ** _IllumiZoldyckFanGirl, for your review and continued support. I'm really glad you're enjoying this. Hopefully it continues to be a fun fic to read. Also, thanks for the review, Enigmatic Guest. I'm hopeful that everyone enjoys reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! And Thanks to joker4life for the favorite and follow! You guys are awesome!_**

"Hello?" Killua's voice echoed in my mind as I held my phone up with shaking hands.

"Killua..." I whimpered. "Help..." And then I started crying.

"Whoa! Hold on! What did my idiot brother do?" He cried out.

"He... he...!" I squeaked before a fresh bout of tears broke forth.

"Hold on, Gon and I are on our way." Killua comforted. I sniffled and hung up.

It was only a few moments before Killua let himself into the room to find me still sitting in the same place as when Illumi had left.

"What happened?" Killua asked gently. I turned to him with wide, teary eyes and a red face.

"He... kissed... me!" I squeaked. My face went redder at my own admission and I began to flail my arms. "Oh KAMI! What am I supposed to do with that? And now I have to get ready for a date! But that was my first kiss! And I'm still supposed to be mad at him, and-and... Killua, help!" I began sobbing to my own confusion. I wasn't sad. Just confused and happy and conflicted and... really emotional. Gon giggled.

"She's crying cuz she's all confused emotionally." He explained to the panicking Killua.

"Oh, geez. You scared me." He covered his face with a hand. I looked down , tears still escaping my wide eyes. "And you said you don't know what to wear for a date? Where are you guys going?" He asked.

"He said something about curry." I mumbled. I began to draw patterns into the carpet.

"Okay, what do you have?" He prodded. I got up and began to rifle through the clothes in my special bag. I pulled out a purple silk, sleeveless cheongsam dress with plum colored blossoms embroidered into it that only went down to my knees, an emerald flowy dress that had a scoop neckline, cap sleeves and only went down to my knees, a violet rendition of the first dress they ever saw me in, and an emerald version of the dress I wore now. The boys stared at my dress choices for a moment before I pulled out another knee length, sleeveless cheongsam in a jade hue with autumn leaves embroidered in the color of autumn all over it.

"That one!" They pointed to it and spoke in tandem. I looked down at my jade dress and blushed.

"You sure?" I fussed with the fabric a bit.

"Yeah. He's gonna like it." Killua affirmed. I carefully stuffed the other dresses back into the bag. "How long do you have, anyway?" Killua asked.

"He said we would leave around seven, so four hours?" I tilted my head.

"Okay. You should start getting ready then." Killua dragged Gon to the door. "Have fun!" The door slammed behind him. I sighed. He was right.

I pulled out jade colored slippers and my new lacy underthings that still had the tags on them to wear, a hair pin to pull my bangs out of my face, and my makeup bag. I pulled them all into the bathroom with me and locked the door.

I drew a bath, and added scented oils, such as lavender, vanilla, mint, and jasmine, and set an alarm for thirty minutes to relax before I had to get moving.

I sunk into the perfumed water and sighed. The oils were supposed to help me de-stress before I worked myself up into tears, and they worked wonders. I forgot my surroundings and began to hum love songs I had thought were long forgotten.

* * *

Illumi POV

Illumi opened the door to find the room seemingly abandoned. Akiko's voice, however, alerted him to her presence somewhere in the suite. She was humming some song other other, and the accompanying sound of splashes gave him an idea as to what she was doing.

He chuckled quietly and grabbed his clothes, intent upon asking to borrow Hisoka's shower, to avoid getting in the darling redhead's way. Before he left, however, he listened a while to the soft melodies being hummed from the other side of the door.

* * *

I stared at my reflection with a frown. _I don't want to put on too much makeup... But I hardly ever find an appropriate time to wear any... I don't need mascara. My eyelashes are long enough... My skin is clear so base and foundation aren't necessary... I don't like blush... So eyeliner, eyeshadow, and lipstick?_

I nodded to my reflection and dug out the necessary items. A little black eyeliner, light grey eyeshadow, and a maroon shade of lipstick later, and I looked ready to go. But my wide eyes told a different story altogether. I glanced at the clock in the room and blanched. 6:58 pm. I took a steadying breath, gave one last cursory glance at myself and nodded.

I open the door to our room, to see Illumi sitting on his side of the bed, facing away from me and using his arms to prop him up as he leaned back a bit.. He turned his upper body at the sound of the bathroom door opening, his face lighting up a bit, in his stoic way. "Oh, you're done! I suppose we can go now." He stood fluidly, giving my eyes purchase on his form. He wore an emerald, form fitting light sweater and black jeans with black shoes. He walk toward me, making me freeze in place. He leaned down, fingers tilting my chin up, and my lips with his own. I felt myself melt into his touch as one hand pressed upon the small of my back, pressing me into his form, and the other holding my chin in place as he kissed me. He had his eyes closed, but it didn't stop me from falling further into the sensation of being so close to him. I felt my eyes slide shut as my hands fisted in his sweater and my face flushed.

He slowly broke the kiss and stepped back, his eyes half lidded, giving him an air of seriousness. "You look beautiful as always." He complemented, his voice registering lower than normal. I felt a shiver skitter down my spine and had to avoid his eyes in embarrassment.

"Thank you. You look good, too." I spoke barely above a whispered. _Since when have I been this shy and awkward? Pull yourself together, girl!_ I steeled myself and lifted my eyes to his face, andd promptly had to stop myself from laughing. I accidentally let a giggle slip out.

"Hmmm?" He tilted his head, his maroon stained lips giving him a more feminine appearance. "What's so funny?"

"Just a moment." I giggled. I grabbed a makeup wipe from my makeup bag and returned to him. I stood on my tiptoes to get my face close enough to start cleaning my lipstick from his lips and gave a fond smile. It faltered a bit when I realized how close we were. He was staring down at me with an indecipherable expression and his freshly cleaned lips looked so inviting. His scent invaded my senses again, threatening to put me under a haze again. "Only one of us needs to wear this." I joked lightly. I took a step back, but he continued to stare at me with half lidded eyes, making an unfamiliar heat bloom inside of me. I flushed bright red. "So... dinner?" I prompted, snapping him out of whatever reverie he had.

"Of course." His arm reached out and snagged me by the waist, to my secret pleasure. He was so warm. We made our way down to the first level, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw green and white.

"Don't look now, but I think we have stalkers." I didn't speak very loud or look their way as I spoke, smiling slightly.

"Yup." He confirmed, not bothering to look either. "They'll probably follow us to the restaurant."

I chuckled. "They're a bit of a handful." I commented.

"I suppose." He allowed. We continued to walk through the streets, my eyes alighting to the massive teddy again. I repressed the urge to run and hug it again, the suspicion Illumi would buy it if he realized that I liked fluffy things. My eyes slid away from the giant mountain of plush and stared on the ground ahead of me. I was unaware of his eyes watching my every move.

* * *

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Illumi asked, an elbow leaned on the table as he combed his fingers over his scalp a bit. We had just finished our dinners, enjoying talking abut our families before he suddenly asked. _God his hair. One day, I'm going to comb my fingers through those black locks and find out if his hair is as silky as it looks._ I refocused my attention to answer his question.

"As first dates go, this is fantastic." I smiled as my fingers played with the straw in my drink.

"Eh? First date?" He tilted his head. "Have you never been taken out before?"

"No. You're the first. For a few things, actually." I admitted. My eyes dropped to the drink in front of me. "Like my first kiss..." I trailed off. My eyes immediately shot back up, however, as he knelt beside me, garnering the attention of everyone else in the restaurant.

"I may be the first, and that makes me happy. But I'll be satisfied once I've cemented my place as your last. Your only." My face flushed as he took my hand, and touched it to his lips. He stood fluidly. "I'll be right back." He turned toward the restroom. And I tried my hardest to calm down before he got back.

 _What in the hell is going on with him? On the airship he was just being awkward. Where the hell did this smooth fucker come from? Who has he been talking to, to learn this kind of behavior? Certainly wasn't Hisoka. He's too lewd for this kind of stuff. If it had been him, I have a sneaking suspicion that Illumi would have tried to seduce me into bed... and succeeded..._ I blushed faintly at that admittance. _Wait. How did he know I even liked this kind of food? The only person we both know that knows any of my likes and dislikes is..._ My eyes widened at my epiphany. _Killua!_

"Are you ready to go?" Illumi startled me from my thoughts.

"Hm? Yes." I rose to my feet and his arm wrapped around my waist again. I looked back briefly to see that he had paid while I was distracted.

As we stepped into the brisk night air, his arm tightened, pulling my close to his side. I looked up at him to see that he was staring straight ahead with a small smile. I looked ahead and allowed myself a smile as well.

 _Will it feel like this all the time?_ I wondered.

* * *

We had made it back to our room, and I was searching through my bag for my favorite night shirt, but coming up empty. "Did I just not pack it?" I muttered.

"Can't find something?" He asked curiously. "I thought that bag had everything."

"Apparently not..." I grumbled. Then my mind flashed back to the last time I wore it. Lying on a rock to sundry after I had washed it in a river a week ago. I groaned. "I guess I'll never get that back."

"Why don't you just use this?" I turned to him to see him holding out one of his undershirts.

"Hm? You sure?" I looked down at it curiously as he handed it to me.

"Sure. You can use my clothes whenever you like." He pulled out another shirt and sleeping pants for himself. I eyed him in confusion.

"Thanks." _This feels more like him. Less 'suave lady killer' and more 'awkward, dorky, hot assassin'. Kinda cute._ I grinned to myself as I hugged his shirt to my chest and quickly made my way to the bathroom. I changed quickly, trading my dress, bra, and shoes for his under shirt. I paused for a moment as I caught his scent on the clean garment and smiled. I quickly exited the bathroom, aware of his eyes on me and slid into my side of the bed, but stayed sitting up at the head of the bed, just as he was.

"I'm telling you now: don't get any funny ideas. I enjoyed tonight, but that doesn't make me easy." I informed him. He answered with a small smile. I grinned at him. "I'm not tired yet, so how about some TV?" The proposition was met with him turning on the television and handing me the remote to choose what we would watch.

I skimmed through the channels until I found some romantic comedy, and shrugged. "Guess that's the best they got." His arm snaked around my shoulders and pulled me closer. I stared at the television, face softening into a complacent smile and leaned my head on is shoulder. His head soon rested on mine in a mimic of what happened on the airship just days ago. I relaxed at how natural this felt, and before I realized it, I was asleep. I didn't wake when he re-situated me to laying down, or when the television was turned off. I woke slightly as I felt his arms encircled me, but decided against protesting. Why fight a good thing?


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: Hello readers! Thank you, Enigmatic Guest, IllumiZoldyckFanGirl, and another Anonymous guest for the lovely reviewers. I would just like to say that there may be a few lemons down the road and I hope everyone can handle it. Also, I'm about to be getting a job for a while so that I can move. This may make updates slower, but never fear, I will continue this fic, I promise. It may be a few weeks before I have a job, anyway. So, on with the story!**_

I opened my eyes to unseeing orbs staring back at me from a plush face. I sat up, disoriented, and stared down at the giant stuffy laying where Illumi had been last night. I blinked slowly as the situation sank in. Heat crept up my face in mortification. _He saw the bear...!_ I looked around the room, wary about my would-be suitor. At a glance, the room seemed empty, so I pulled myself out of bed.

I figured it would be best to order delivery this morning, since I could feel a need for a lazy day.

 _He wants to marry me? He's gonna have to deal with my clingy behavior._ I thought. I placed an order for shrimp fried rice, sweet and sour chicken, spicy sesame chicken, and lo mein with extra veggies, then started to gather clothes for my lazy day. _He_ did _say I could borrow his clothes whenever I wanted._ A mischievous voice reasoned as I grabbed a pair of his cotton sleep pants and another undershirt. I yawned sleepily as I opened the door to the bathroom. The water was already running, I realized as my eyes opened completely to see the outline of his bare form on the other side of the curtain.

It only took me a full minute to unfreeze from shock and scramble out of the bathroom with a cherry red face. _I can never unsee that!_ I panicked, hyperventilating as I slid down the wall beside the door. I put my head in my hands as the image kept running through my mind. _FUCK! This is NOT how I wanted to spend my lazy day!_ I took a steadying breath. _What's the big deal? It's not like you won't be seeing more of that in the future..._ A sneaky voice quipped in my head. I could feel a panic attack coming on.

"Are you okay?" Illumi asked. I froze for a moment before looking at his bare feet, up his legs, to the towel slung around his hips, to his bare chest, to his face stoicly looking down at me. I skittered back into a corner with a glowing red face. "Hm? Oh, sorry. I forgot my clothes." I gathered my wits about me to respond coherently.

"Th-that's okay. I was planning on a shower anyway. Could you watch out for the food? I ordered something for us, since I planned to stay in with you today... Unless you have something to do?"

"I'm free." He answered in a chipper manner with a small smile.

"M'kay. I'll be out in a bit." I answered before I slipped into the bathroom and locked the door behind myself.

* * *

"Food's here." Illumi's voice so close to the curtain caused a shriek to bubble up from my throat.

"I locked the door!" I shouted as I began throwing bottles through the curtain.

"You won't be able to hit me like that. I'm not looking at you, though. And you didn't shut the door all the way."

I stuck my head out of the shower to see him with his back against the small strip of wall before the tub, staring at the bare wall in front of him. His eyes glanced down at my peeved face. "That doesn't mean you should just come in!" I hissed in irritation.

"What's the problem? You did it earlier." He smirked minutely. My face turned bright red.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" I squeaked and pulled my mortifies face back into the shower.

"Maybe soon, we can just share showers." Illumi said in his usual peppy tone.

"Don't start sounding like Hisoka!" I shouted, flailing an arm outside of the shower in an attempt to swat him.

"Haha! I'll wait out there, then. Better hurry, before the food gets cold." He teased before I heard the click of the bathroom door.

 _What the fuck?!_ I shook despite the heat of the shower stream. _Why is he being so... well, he's already weird but he's being weirder than usual._ I was quick to step out of the shower and dry off and get dressed.

I poked my head out the bathroom door to see that he had set up the food and was waiting for me.

"Oh. You're out! Ready to eat?" He clapped his hands together in what I assumed was pleasure.

"Y... Yeah. Sure." I avoided his eyes in embarrassment.

"You're wearing my clothes?" He tilted his head in question.

"You _did_ say I could wear your clothes whenever I wanted to..." I smirked. "Not my fault I remember what you said." I popped a piece of spicy chicken in my mouth and winked as I swallowed. His eyes widened and for a moment, his form blurred, and I blinked only to find his face only inches away from mine.

"I wish you would just admit that you're mine..." He murmured before closing the space between our lips. I didn't waste time in running my nails along his scalp gently and tugging his hair to keep him there.

He gently nipped my bottom lip, demanding entrance which I granted. _I don't know how, but he tastes like sweet spices. I never want this to end..._

He lifted me out of the chair and held me up by my bottom while my legs wrapped around his waist, and carried me to our bed while our tongues continued the battle for dominance. He laid me down into the middle of the bed as he balanced above me. At some point, though, the lower half of his torso had lowered to completely trap me under him. He broke away from me and I gasped for breath. My fingers combed through his silky locks, emitting a moan from him. He laid his forehead on my shoulder as he kept himself propped up by his elbows.

"I'm glad you drank the tea." I sighed happily.

"Hm?" His head popped up and he looked into my eyes. "What does the tea have anything to do with this?"

"My tea is special for me, because the first to drink it becomes bonded to me. In accordance to my village, we are already married." I admitted. I scrutinized his features for any sign of anger. "It really only affects me, to my knowledge."

"I see. What does the bond do?" He questioned.

"Um... I'll know if you're sick, wounded, dead, or alive and well... I'll always be able to tell when you're near, from the feeling of warmth. Being around you causes positive emotions... And neither of us can harm or kill the other... though if you were to drink more, the effects would start to affect you as well. But I think I'll leave that up to you should we marry officially." I pinked as I felt his fingers running through my hair.

"When." He had switched his focus to my hair. "When we marry officially." His eyes met mine again.

"When..." I amended. He smiled a small smile.

"We should eat before the food gets cold." He helped me out of bed and went back to eating like nothing had happened. I was bemused by the turn of events, but decided to roll with it.


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: Hello readers! Thank you Blue, and IllumiZoldyckFanGirl for the reviews! And thanks also goes to Em-Wing for the follow! And there is a bit citrus-y action in this chappy, but I hope you enjoy it, nonetheless.**_

"A little girl?"

"Are you serious?!"

"She's gonna be murdered!"

Voices shouted from all along the ring. I stared at my opponent who towered above my five foot stature.

"Now's your chance to back out, little girl." He sneered. I kept my face devoid of emotion.

"I was going to say the same thing. I don't know how to hold back, so I almost always kill adversaries." I tilted my head slightly. I as aware of four familiar pairs of eyes watching this match. Today I wore my violet version of the outfit I wore in the hunter exam, and a black hood. My special bag was hidden, and near the top of the pile of stuff, I had a pair of dual wielding scythes.

"Keh, right." He mocked. I sighed.

"Your funeral." I stated nonchalantly.

"Enough of you!" He shouted as he charged up a nen attack. It looked like a simple emission type of attack, so I didn't bother to dodge. I planned to slice it in half with one of my scythes. My hand grabbed onto a handle and pulled out...

An umbrella. I sweatdropped, but went with the flow. I opened it quickly, held it like a fencing foil and enforced it with nen to make it split. I closed it quickly and stuffed it back in the bag. The crowd roared with laughter.

"Damn." I muttered. I reached in again to feel for the scythes again. I pulled out a tennis racket and hit the next blast back into him.

"Critical hit! Two points!" The referee shouted.

I pulled out a rubber chicken and frowned. "Did my mother start adding things to my bag?" The laughter grew deafening. Even my opponent started laughing. I drew out a swordfish next and glared down at my bag. I threw the damned swordfish at my opponent. "She added things to my bag!" I thrust my hand into my bag one last time.

"Clean hit! Plus knockdown! Plus three points!" The ref announced. I pulled out a scythe, with the other hooked onto the blade of the first. I caught the second blade with my other hand.

"Ah, finally. Enough of this comedy act." I made time pause. I cut into my opponent's side and stood behind him and restarted time. Blood sprayed onto the back of my black cloak.

"You little bitch!" He shouted. He swung around to punch me and the back of the head. I froze time again to jump up onto his arm. I resumed time again and dragged my scythe down the front of his torso. The match was over. He was dead.

"Winner is AKIKO!" The referee announced loudly. I frowned and grabbed the random objects that I had pulled from my bag of tricks and stuffed them back in.

"I am definitely calling home about this..." I grumbled in the tunnel, where the others awaited.

"Big sis! You're awesome!" Gon shouted.

"What was with all that stuff? A rubber chicken? A swordfish?" Killua questioned.

"Mother will be asked those very questions when I call home." I growled. Hisoka laughed.

"It was amusing, at least." He chuckled.

"Your mother does this often?" Illumi asked with a raised brow.

"Sometimes. Normally, It's something practical. Like a new pan. But every now and again, she doesn't get very much sleep and strange things wind up in the bag..."

"That's funny!" Killua giggled.

"Maybe." I pulled out a lavender hard candy and began to suck on it. "Still annoying. And sometimes scarring." I shuddered.

"How so?" Illumi asked.

"Five words: Very large... silicone... male piece..." I spoke haltingly as I refused to meet their eyes and turned red. I eventually looked at the party as they had remained quiet. The boys were bright red and staring at the ground. Hisoka was holding back laughter. Illumi was staring at me curiously. "Anyways... Good job making it here, boys. Let's get dinner to celebrate, hm?"

"YEAH!" The boys chorused in tandem. I chuckled.

"Alright. Let's go.

* * *

I laid back onto my side of the bed and sighed. "So you've seen what a penis looks like?" I shot up at Illumi's words, beet red.

"Let's not ever speak about that. Ever." I groaned.

"It's kind of funny..." Illumi admitted.

"No! No it isn't!" I shouted and threw a pillow at him. "It was gross!"

"Oh?" He tilted his head. "Why?"

"Because it was hers. It might have been cleaned, but it was still hers!" I felt sick at the remembrance. "Disgusting." I grabbed his pillow and slammed it over my head to black out the room. I felt the bed shift around me before he pulled the pillow off. He knelt on the bed, one knee on each side of my hips.

"Then don't think about it." He leaned down, stopping only an inch from my face. "Think about me, only." He dropped his head to kiss me. I felt a heat rise up in me as I allowed my hands to roam down to the hem of his shirt, then trailed up, under his shirt. He raised up and pulled off the shirt, then returned to continue our kisses. His tongue demanded entrance, which I granted wholeheartedly. My nails grazed his back, causing his breath to hitch. He looked at me, searching with eyes at half mast.

"Illumi?" I all but whispered. He crashed back down on me, lips consuming me, hands unfastening my dress. I allowed my hands to worship the muscles of his back as they bunched and un-bunched in his efforts to undress me. He lifted me and began to pull the dress down. He broke away to completely pull my dress off, leaving me in my underthings, black and purple stockings, and black heeled mary janes.

"Beautiful." He breathed. I tried to hide my body with my arms out of self-consciousness. "Don't hide..." He pulled my hands above my head and held them with one hand as he touched my face with the other. "You _are mine_." His voice whispered in my ear, echoing in my mind as his free hand trailed down my body. I couldn't help but squirm.

"Illumi...!" I squirmed more.

"Hmmm?" He began to kiss the hollow of my throat.

"Illumi..." I wriggled. The heat in my belly was spreading.

"What is it?" I murmured against my collarbone as he nipped it.

"If you're going to do this, just do it and don't tease me!" I whimpered. I bucked upwards in my writhing, causing his form to still for a moment.

"Fine then." All I saw was his smile, promising something my muddled mind couldn't fathom. My eyes widened as he stood and let his pants and underwear drop.

"Oh... my..." I gulped. Then he was upon me.

* * *

"You owe me a new set." I mumbled sleepily with my cheek on his chest.

"They wouldn't come off." He shrugged with his hands behind his head.

"Don't care. I don't have many of those, and lingerie is expensive." I nuzzled him. "I can't believe this happened so fast..."

"It was probably the effects of the tea." He admitted. "Which I am thankful for. I think it would have taken me years to get you to accept me."

"Yeah..." I hugged his waist. "I bet your family will be pleased..."

"Mother will want a big wedding. Your family will be invited, of course." He mused playfully.

"Mmmm..." I felt dread creep up my spine. "I guess I'll have no choice then..."

"Not really, no." He affirmed. I groaned in playful exasperation, causing him to chuckle.

"Well, we have time." I mumbled. "Goodnight." I snuggled against him and he wrapped an arm around me.

"Goodnight, Akiko."


End file.
